“Possible Breakup of Russia-led ‘Mini NATO’ CSTO as Allies Threaten to Exit”

International

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Allies of Russia threatened to break up. The Moscow-led “mini NATO” aka Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is starting to crack.

Please note, CSTO is an alliance forged between the countries of the former Soviet Union in Eurasia. kindly in fact Russia is the leader with five member states, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The split came when Armenian Prime Minister (PM) Nikol Pashinyan said his country could leave CSTO. He admitted that he was frustrated with the attitude of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In fact, Armenia and Russia have long been close allies. But tensions continue to rise between the two countries.

Pashinyan said support from Putin had diminished in the case of Armenia’s ongoing dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan. Armenia was involved in a six-week war with Azerbaijan in 2020 and since then, issues have continued between the countries.

Armenia itself accuses Azerbaijan of moving troops to its territory in 2021. This country also demands that the CSTO condemn this move.

“I cannot rule out the possibility of a withdrawal de jure Armenia from the CSTO or suspension of its membership,” Pashinyan said in a press conference Monday local time according to the news agency Interfax quoted Newsweek, Tuesday (23/5/2023).

This weekend, Pashinyan is scheduled to speak with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a Moscow meeting hosted by Putin. Pashinyan indicated that at least one issue between the two countries would be resolved soon, whereby Yerevan could recognize the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as part of Baku if certain conditions were met.

Meanwhile, during the Moscow talks, attention will likely be paid to interactions between Pashinyan and Putin. Several times, from late 2022 to early 2023, it is said that he often avoids Putin.

In November, the Armenian PM was reportedly reluctant to be photographed near Putin during a meeting of CSTO leaders, after Pashinyan’s refusal to sign the CSTO declaration. In January, tensions continued when Pashinyan announced his country would not host the Russian-led military exercises for the CSTO in 2023, days after the official announcement was made by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Previously, Pashinyan also said Armenia’s statement of withdrawing from the CSTO in March. He signaled that the CSTO had “withdrawn” from Armenia.

“My assessment is that the CSTO left Armenia voluntarily or not, and we are concerned about this,” he said at the time, according to Armenian Public Radio.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later responded to Pashinyan’s remarks by saying Russia would continue dialogue with Armenia about the bloc. He also emphasized that Pashinyan’s statement was a positive evaluation of the CSTO.

“This is an organization that has repeatedly demonstrated its effectiveness in various situations. It has the potential to grow,” Peskov said, according to the news agency. TASS.

Instead of NATO continuing to accept new members as early as 1949, CSTO has lost many members. Previously Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan have all left the group.

(sef/sef)